Hawkeye men's track faces last chance before Big Tens

By Eldon Giannakouros
eldon-giannakouros@uiowa.edu

The Iowa men?s track team will have the creative leeway today that it needs to ensure its top athletes are ready for the Big Ten Indoor Championships on Feb. 25.

The Iowa Invitational, the team?s final home meet of the season, is an excellent opportunity for coaches to sharpen the roster.

?Just like we do every year, we look for guys to step up and put themselves on the travel roster or solidify their spot on the travel roster,? assistant coach Joey Woody said. ?We?re looking for some big performances; we just want to see guys continue to improve as we move toward the Big Ten meet.?

The tune-up meet couldn?t have come at a better time for standout sprinter Justin Austin. The all-American is in his physical prime, but seemed to lose his footing in his past two performances. Austin?s last two outings were each in Fayetteville, Ark., and each ended in disappointment when he stepped outside his lane and was disqualified.

?He?s gone down to the same track two major meets in a row and run out of the lane. You expect more of a veteran athlete than to have that happen,? head coach Larry Wieczorek said. ?I don?t think there?s much excuse for that.?

Woody, who works closely with Austin, said the problem is more about the runner?s mental state in competition than his physical ability or his attitude in training.

?His best time of the year would?ve been one of the top five times in the nation,? Woody said. ?He?s looking better than he looked even last year [when he was an all-American] in training. ?On the competition side of things, a lot of guys get too focused on the performance instead of just doing what they know they can do.?

Last season marked a breakthrough for Austin, and he said that in order to return to that level of success, he needs to overcome the added pressure that came with those performances. He has to rediscover the carefree attitude he had when he was at his best.

?If you try to go out there and hit certain times, it just won?t happen. That?s been my struggle this year: I?m trying too hard to do things I know I can do,? Austin said. ?I?m trying too hard and not just letting my body do what it does best.?

?I think he needs to just focus on relaxing and having fun. I tell him he needs to get his ?swag? back that he had last year,? Woody said.

With the exception of Erik Sowinski ? who will take the week off after running at the Husky Invitational in Seattle last weekend ? nearly the entire roster will compete today at the Recreation Building. Wieczorek won?t just be watching his talented seniors; he?ll also observe underclassmen as they try to post times worthy of Iowa?s 32-man Big Ten Championship traveling roster.

?We?ve got a few athletes that are still trying to earn their spot in the lineup, and so this is their last chance to show they?re worthy to make the traveling team,? Wieczorek said. ?There are a few guys ? like Ben Witt, a freshman, who has not met that standard, but will have a chance with his back to the wall to put himself in the lineup this weekend in the mile run.?

The meet is a chance to prepare for big races down the road, but like at any home event, the Hawkeyes plan to put on a fast-paced exhibition for their Iowa City fans as well.

?Any time we get the opportunity to compete at home, it?s important to us to show off the sport of track and field at the home venue,? Wieczorek said.

Source: http://www.dailyiowanmedia.com/live/2012/02/16/hawkeye-mens-track-faces-last-chance-before-big-tens/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hawkeye-mens-track-faces-last-chance-before-big-tens

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